What do African elephants eat?

The diet of an African elephant consists of roots, grasses, buds, leaves, fruits and barks. Elephants can eat up to 350 pounds of food daily.

Elephants have two outgrowths called proboscides on the end of their trunks that are used to pick up small food objects and to strip leaves from trees. Mother elephants often knock over entire trees so their calves can feed on the leaves and fruits. Elephant's foraging habits can have devastating effects on their habitat. Although tree loss in elephant-inhabited areas is nine times higher than in areas without elephants, the elephants are only doing what they have to do to survive, according to Discovery News.